| A pair of legendary names came
together when Alain Ducasse’s Spoon opened at Byblos-St.-Tropez in the
spring of 2002. It was a serendipitous reunion. Early on in his
career, Ducasse had been chef of the Byblos resort in Courchevel in
the French Alps. In subsequent years, he moved on to become the
international impresario of haute cuisine, operating restaurants from
Paris to Monte Carlo, even at the Essex House in New York, receiving a
constellation of Michelin stars along the way. On the other hand, both
Byblos resorts had been on the map of high-end deluxe destinations
from the time they debuted -- St. Tropez in 1967 and Courcheville in
1984. A popular bistro had long stood near the
entrance of Byblos-St.-Tropez, opening off a stairway that led from
the street into the resort. But Byblos owner and general manager
Antoine Chevanne felt a new and different kind of restaurant was
needed. “Byblos has always been a mover in St.-Tropez in terms of
concept and hospitality,” he told us when we met for dinner at Spoon
on a still-summery September evening. “Of late, new competition had
come up, and we realized the time had come for us to move on.
“We’d kept in contact with Alain through the
seventeen years since he’d left Courcheville,” Chevanne added, “and
now his Spoon concept seemed the most exciting of the many suggestions
we received. It fitted so perfectly with the general atmosphere of the
place. And the name Ducasse is known internationally so people coming
from both within France and abroad would be drawn to it.”
It is easy to be drawn into Spoon. Wooden gates open
into an enchanted gardened setting softly lit by storm lanterns
sequestered in the branches of trees. Low-slung chaise lounges in cool
gray and smart directors’ chairs surround tables on a floor of
polished teak. Beyond is the glass fronted dining room, but as
interior and exterior merge so seamlessly in this magical setting, it
is only when you look up and find a ceiling has taken the place of the
St.-Tropez sky that you realize you have moved from the patio to the
restaurant proper.
The Patrick Jouin-designed space is strikingly ultra
modern with exotic Mediterranean and North African accents. Sleek
leather banquettes in bright red combine with Moroccan lamps that hang
low over dining areas. The bar is a circle of blue-tinted glass and
stainless steel topped with a crown of crystal goblets. Artfully
arranged produce and racks of wine bottles seem to float behind
transparent walls.
This Spoon is a distinctive take on the brand that
originated in Paris in 1998 where, in a departure from the classic
French, Ducasse presented a startlingly new dining concept summarized
as “A spoonful of freedom and a multi-ethnic cuisine.” It was followed
by Spoons in Mauritius, London and Tokyo. At Byblos, the cuisine is
limited to the Mediterranean rim focusing on dishes of Provencal and
Italian, Moroccan and Tunisian, Andalusian and Catalonian origin under
the direction of Byblos’ chef Georges Pelissier. But the key Spoon
elements: unique combinations of vegetables, cereals, and sauces that
are dishes in themselves; a sampling of this, a taste of that; the
enhancement that comes from distinctive condiments and garnishes;
courses that are prepared swiftly with an emphasis on healthy products
that meet the standards of gourmet preparations –are all there.
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We settled into a red banquette before a wooden
table polished to a mirror-like luster that was set with stark white
plates, the typical flatware arrangements, also a set of chopsticks,
and a unique all-purpose utensil that looked like it could handle any
preparation, and contemplated the complex menu. There are the 1+2+3
combinations like seared veal brisket, yogurt harissa sauce, and
lettuce and crispy socca; or spit roasted John Dory, crispy Vierge
sauce, and cereals. There are the set menus of two appetizers, two
main courses and dessert that focus on Italian or Spanish cuisines.
There are the a la carte listings of soups, salads, steamed fare,
vegetables, and the typically Ducasse soft boiled egg paired here with
salted cod. Any of the items can be mixed and matched, which is what
we did, zigzagging across the menu to sample a wide assortment of
flavors and textures, savoring the range of tastes, struggling to
resist the flatbreads -- paired with eggplant, zucchini and tomato—moussaka
style – that proved so irresistible, we finally begged the waiter to
take them away.
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The 300-plus wine list includes selections from Spain
to Portugal, from South Africa to New Zealand and Australia, from
Argentina to Chile, from America to France. Whites are “Golds,”
reds are “Rubies.” They range from the light wines: Pale Gold and
Light Ruby to the fuller bodied: Intense Gold and Intense Ruby. “We
felt with our international clientele, it was a perfect mating,”
said Chevanne. “You can have wine by the glass. Try a different wine
for each course.”
We
did, and it was an adventure. The entire Spoon experience is an
adventure in high-style dining, and it did not take long for
St.-Tropez’s high-style crowd to discover it. Just a few steps up
the stairway is Byblos’ famed disco Les Caves du Roy. Dinner at
Spoon and dancing at Le Caves – what better way to spend an
evening in the now and forever trendy St.-Tropez?
Spoon
Byblos St.-Tropez
83990 St.-Tropez, France
Phone: 33 (0)4 94 56 68 00
Email:
Saint-tropez@byblos.com
Photos by Harvey Frommer |
